Attaching centerboards to vessels



N,PETERS, PHOTOLITHOGHAPHER, WASHINGTON. o C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. BURR-OEIS, OF MYSTIO RIVER, CONNECTICUT.

ATTACI-IING CENTERBOARDS TO VESSELS.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 16,084, dated November 18, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. B'Unnows, of Mystic River, in the township of Groton, county of New London, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Attachment of Centerboards to Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and represents a side view of a centerboard and a central vertical section of its trunk.

The object of this invention is to render vthe centerboard entirely independent of the sides of the trunk, or in other words, to dispense with any direct attachment to bolts passing transversely through the trunk. The use of such. attachments precludes the possibility, when a vessel is at sea with a full cargo, of taking out the centerboard for repairs and in many instances render it impossible to raise the centerboard to enable the vessel to pass over a bar at the entrance to a port without breaking bulk, as they are entirely covered up by the cargo, but, by my improved mode of attaching the centerboard, I am enabled to raise or lower it or remove it entirely from the trunk and place it on the deck under all conditions of the vessel at sea or in port.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invent-ion, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The trunk is constructed in substantially the same way as the trunks of centerboard vessels heretofore employed, of two strong upright timbers A,A1,to form the ends,with planks B, B, bolted permanently thereto to form the sides. The centerboard O, is of the form of many centerboards heretofore employed, and moves upon a hinge or pivot a, but this hinge or pivot, instead of being attached permanently to the trunk or consisting of a bolt passing through the sides thereof and only capable of being removed at the sides, is attached by cheek plates d, t0 a post D, which post fits snugly in the trunk and, with the center board attached, is capable of being drawn upward out of the trunk or even of being lowered downward through the bottom thereof, if desirable. This post D, is secured to the post A, near the top of the trunk, either within the same, as shown in the drawing or above the sides of the same, by a screw bolt b, and at the bottom it is made with a notch c, to fit over a bolt e, which passes transversely through the trunk. There is no objection to this bolt passing through the sides of the trunk, as it is permanently fixed and does not require to be taken out to liberate the centerboard.

The centerboard may be raised or lowered, in the usual manner, by a chain or rope at- `tached to the end f'. lVhen it becomes necessary to remove the centerboard from the trunk, all that requires to be done to liberate it is to unscrew and take out the bolt b, which can be done without diiiiculty owing to the said bolt being arranged to unscrew and draw toward the inside of the trunk, and then the post D, with the centerboard attached, may be lifted out of the trunk by any suitable hoist-ing apparatus; or, if the centerboard should receive suoli damage or any such obstacle should present itself that would prevent their being lifted upward from the trunk, the post D, may be lifted high enough to allow its lower end to pass entirely over the bolt e, and then, with the centerboard, may be dropped through the bottom of the trunk and when it floats may be picked up outside the vessel.'

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The hanging of the centerboard, to a movable post D, or other sliding piece of similar character which admits of its being easily and readily removed from the trunk for repairs or any other purpose, as herein fully described.

GEO. S. BURROVVS.

Witnesses:

JAMES F. BUCKLEY, W. TUscH. 

